365 days – One hundred adventures

wednesday

While reading is my oldest love, I am also very passionate about animals. I volunteer twice a week with a wonderful Toronto-based charity called Action Volunteers for Animals. They rescue homeless cats from all around Ontario, as well as run Trap-Neuter-Release programs to help control the population of homeless cats. Every week, I plan to post pictures of some of the delightful kitties currently staying with us at the local adoption facility.

There are so many new cats in the kiosk this week, and they are all looking for their new forever homes!

Dizzy is a two year old long-haired female. She is very nervous in the shelter, and but is slowly becoming braver. Dizzy is still getting used to people, and the volunteers have been working to socialize her using gentle words, treats, and lots of patience! She would do well in a house with a cat friend to help her adjust to her new home.

Chet is a stunning flame-point Siamese mix. He has the most beautiful blue eyes which are slightly crossed, a signature of Siamese cats. Chet enjoys feline companionship, and would do best in a home with a cat friend.

Filemon and Pisho are one-year old males. Filemon has the darker face, and is the braver of the two. Pisho has more white on his face and has been a bit hesitant to come out and explore with his brother. He is still a sweet, gentle cat who likes to be petted around the ears. These two brothers are not bonded, and can be adopted individually or as a pair.

I’ve been volunteering with AVA for over a year, and this is the first all-white cat I’ve seen in the shelter. Samson is a sweet, gentle seven year old male. He is grouchy in the kiosk, but still enjoys being scratched and petted. Samson likes to have all the attention to himself, and would do best as the only cat in the house.

Last but not least, Boujie is a beautiful orange and white male, with one of the sweetest faces! He is still learning the rules for live indoors; he loves to be petted and scratched but can also become easily startled. He loves exploring every inch of the shelter, even the places he’s not supposed to be!

You can see more photos of our wonderful rescue cats, learn more about AVA, and become involved as a volunteer by visiting actionvolunteersforanimals.com

While reading is my oldest love, I am also very passionate about animals. I volunteer twice a week with a wonderful Toronto-based charity called Action Volunteers for Animals. They rescue homeless cats from all around Ontario, as well as run Trap-Neuter-Release programs to help control the population of homeless cats. Every week, I plan to post pictures of some of the delightful kitties currently staying with us at the local adoption facility.

After a few weeks off we are back with another installment of Rescue Cat Wednesday! One of the reasons I haven’t posted pictures of our wonderful shelter kitties is that we simply don’t have very many right now. AVA together with PetsMart had a hugely successful adoption weekend in February, with thirteen cats finding their forever homes from just our location in Scarborough!

When we don’t have very many cats in the adoption center, this gives us a lot of time to socialize and work with the cats that we do have. Since most of the cats that come to our shelter are rescues from the streets or cat colonies, they don’t always have a lot of trust or confidence around people.

Using gentle words, interactive play, and occasional bribery with treats, the volunteers at AVA are always working to help our cats become more comfortable around humans. Sometimes this takes just a few days, sometimes it can take months! For example, shy Kennedy has been with us since October, and only last week was a fellow volunteer able to pet him and scratch under his chin. This is a huge step for Kennedy!

Kennedy is bonded with Spencer, who is a lovely, gentle cat who wants everyone to be happy. He got used to being around people very quickly, and loves to be petted and scratched behind his ears.

Buddy and Sweetie are two more cats that need a little patience and a lot of love. They were found in a nearby trailer park as half-grown kittens. Because they started out life on their own, they can be defensive around people, but they love to play, and this has been a great way of encouraging these two eight month old cats to become more comfortable around people. They are a bonded pair, so they will go to their forever home together!

You can see more photos of our wonderful rescue cats, learn more about AVA, and become involved as a volunteer by visiting actionvolunteersforanimals.com

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While reading is my oldest love, I am also very passionate about animals. I volunteer twice a week with a wonderful Toronto-based charity called Action Volunteers for Animals. They rescue homeless cats from all around Ontario, as well as run Trap-Neuter-Release programs to help control the population of homeless cats. Every week, I plan to post pictures of some of the delightful kitties currently staying with us at the local adoption facility.

Pretty Tabitha and sweet Georgiana were adopted together to a forever home this week!

Jazz and Tuxie are definitely not shy anymore, and have made it their mission to inspect every corner of the adoption kiosk. Jazz is quite the little acrobat; I had to scoop her out of the back cupboards the other day! These two are great friends and must be adopted together!

This big boy is Manny. He is an incredibly affectionate four-year old. Manny spent most of his life as a tom, and doesn’t do great with other animals. He is a total lap cat, and would be great as the only pet in a household!

You can see more photos of our wonderful rescue cats, learn more about AVA, and become involved as a volunteer by visiting actionvolunteersforanimals.com

Like this:

While reading is my oldest love, I am also very passionate about animals. I volunteer twice a week with a wonderful Toronto-based charity called Action Volunteers for Animals. They rescue homeless cats from all around Ontario, as well as run Trap-Neuter-Release programs to help control the population of homeless cats. Every week, I plan to post pictures of some of the delightful kitties currently staying with us at the local adoption facility.

First off congratulations to Scar, Felicity, Sadie, Ginger, and Rose who have all found their forever homes!

Oakey is back with us after spending some time with a foster family. He had several teeth removed, and is definitely more comfortable now. He loves his special wet food diet, playing with wands, and visiting his cat friends!

Two year old Jazz and Tuxie are shy but sweet cats who came to us from Oshawa. They are settling in nicely and have begun coming out of their cages to explore for short periods of time. Both are comfortable being petted and gently handled, and have definite lap cat potential. We would love to see Jazz and Tuxie go to a new home together; they’re very good friends!

We learned that this gorgeous boy’s name is Spencer, and he has become so much braver in the past week! He likes pets and has come out of his cage to sniff around a few times. He has the softest, most luxuriant fur in the whole world!

You can see more photos of our wonderful rescue cats, learn more about AVA, and become involved as a volunteer by visiting actionvolunteersforanimals.com

Like this:

While reading is my oldest love, I am also very passionate about animals. I volunteer twice a week with a wonderful Toronto-based charity called Action Volunteers for Animals. They rescue homeless cats from all around Ontario, as well as run Trap-Neuter-Release programs to help control the population of homeless cats. Every week, I plan to post pictures of some of the delightful kitties currently staying with us at the local adoption facility.

For those of you who have been following on Facebook, we have a surprise return guest this week!

Scar has returned to AVA! He was adopted just in time for Christmas, but was having a lot of trouble getting along with the other cat in the house. He was becoming stressed and aggressive, so his owner thought he might do better in another home. We now think Scar will be best as the only pet in the house, since he needs to know that he has all of your love!

For those that don’t know, Scar was brought to AVA in September after being rescued as a stray. He had lived rough on the streets for four years as a tom, and has the rakish appearance to prove it! Scar has made great strides since his first arrival. He loves wands and laser toys, but enjoys spending most of his days snoozing in a cat perch, preferably one near a window.

Scar likes to be petted and scratched, but can become overstimulated which causes him to occasionally swat or bite. We are training him to act out this “attack” behavior on his favorite stuffed animal instead of hands. With some love and patience, Scar will make a great addition to a quiet home with no young children or other pets. His donation fee is $175.

All three of our orange brothers found their forever homes this week. Sweet Philip went to a home to be a companion to another young cat. Eric and Rudy were adopted together to a very experienced couple who will work to make them feel comfortable in their new home.

Besides Scar, there are four new cats to introduce this week!

Ginger and Rose were adopted from AVA as kittens. Now two-and-a-half, they were unfortunately surrendered when their owner could no longer take care of them. They are a sweet and gentle pair who are bonded and must be adopted together. Ginger (the orange one) has been a little braver so far, coming to the front of the cage for pets and scratches. Rose has preferred to hang out in her comfy cat box and observe for a few days. The donation fee for Ginger and Rose is $300.

This gorgeous long-haired orange tabby came from a cat colony in Bobcaygeon, Ontario. Hidden behind him is his friend, an equally stunning female Siamese mix. Due to a clerical mixup, we don’t know their names or ages quite yet. I’ve temporarily dubbed them Aladdin and Jasmine, since they’ve spent all their time cuddled up on a rug. Both cats are quite shy, though Aladdin likes to be gentle petted as long as you move slowly. We hope to adopt them together, since it would be helpful to have a friend when they move to their new home. The donation fee would be $175 for one cat, or $300 for the pair.

Felicity and Sadie are now bunkmates but they could be mistaken for mother and daughter! Both love playing with wands and getting head rubs. Sadie is beginning to become your typical rambunctious kitten. I think she’ll be venturing out of her cage soon!

You can see more photos of our wonderful rescue cats, learn more about AVA, and become involved as a volunteer by visiting actionvolunteersforanimals.com

Like this:

While reading is my oldest love, I am also very passionate about animals. I volunteer twice a week with a wonderful Toronto-based charity called Action Volunteers for Animals. They rescue homeless cats from all around Ontario, as well as run Trap-Neuter-Release programs to help control the population of homeless cats. Every week, I plan to post pictures of some of the delightful kitties currently staying with us at the local adoption facility.

We had four adoptions this week at my local animal shelter, and it’s great seeing all the cats find their new forever homes! Among the adopted cats was one that I featured last week:

Cuddly Theodore found a new home with his sister Buffy. It’s great when we get to keep siblings together, however they still have one littermate who needs a family.

This is Sadie. She has come so far in the short time she’s been with AVA. Originally she was very hissy and did not like to be petted at all. In one short week, she’s discovered that she loves pets and scratchies although she still gets really scared if you try to pick her up. Volunteers are working to help Sadie become a true lap cat! Her donation fee is $200, and she needs to be adopted with a friend or to a home that already has a young cat.

Simon is new to AVA this week, and is still getting used to his temporary home. He is a recently neutered tom who would probably do best as the only pet in the house, although he may become better with other cats once he is less nervous. He loves being petted and stroked, but can become overwhelmed at times and try to bite or swat. Simon would do well in an experienced home with no young children. His donation fee is $175.

Eric was rescued from a cat colony near Durham, Ontario with two other orange tabbies who may or may not be his brothers. Eric is still very shy, but is beginning to explore his cage and interact with the volunteers a little more every day. He likes to play with wands, and can be petted for short amounts of time. Eric would do best in a home with other cat friends to make him feel comfortable. His donation fee is $200.

Tabitha didn’t want to come out and play this week. Instead she enjoyed cuddling up with her favorite stuffed snowman.

You can see more photos of our wonderful rescue cats, learn more about AVA, and become involved as a volunteer by visiting actionvolunteersforanimals.com

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This is the very first segment in a weekly post I hope to start this year. While reading is my oldest love, I am also very passionate about animals. I volunteer twice a week with a wonderful Toronto-based charity called Action Volunteers for Animals. They rescue homeless cats from all around Ontario, as well as run Trap-Neuter-Release programs to help control the population of homeless cats. Every week, I plan to post pictures of some of the delightful kitties currently staying with us at the local adoption facility.

Theodore is three months old, and is still getting used to people. He’s discovered that he loves treats and pets, but can be easily startled. With love and patience, he has definite lap cat potential. Theodore needs to be adopted with another kitten or to a home that already has a young cat.

Two-year old Tabitha is shy, but becoming braver everyday. She is very curious about life in the shelter, and has been venturing outside of her cage to investigate the other cats. She has done well with the other cats in the shelter, and could make an excellent companion to a home that already has a cat. She is probably not great with dogs.

Felicity is also two years old, and she has made so much progress since first coming into AVA’s care a few months ago. She is still shy, but now enjoys being petted and scratched. Felicity suffered an illness or an injury that left her partially blind in one eye, but all her other cat senses are keen. Felicity would enjoy a quiet home, preferably with another feline friend.

Philip is six-months old, and has earned the affectionate nickname of Snaggletooth, due to the canine that sticks over his top lip. He is the bravest of his brothers, and is becoming more and more comfortable being petted and handled. He needs to be adopted with another kitten, or to a home that already has a young cat.

Don’t let Oakey’s grouchy face fool you, he is a total sweetie! Oakey was found badly injured, and the scars have left him with an adorably rakish appearance. Oakey loves to eat, he has put on weight in the shelter and could definitely use some exercise! He loves to play with feather wands and laser pointers, and would make a great cat on his own or with a friend.